


For Science

by waterbird13



Series: Tumblr Fics [125]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, ace tony, pressure to meet social norms, queer Tony, starts at MIT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterbird13/pseuds/waterbird13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has sex because he just wants something, anything, that will allow him to be close to people. That breaks Rhodey's heart a bit, there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is another piece from Tumblr.
> 
> The first piece is at MIT, so Tony's underage. he comes out as ace, even if he's unsure what that is. He's having sex as a minor because he craves intimacy. Part two, Tony's a bit older, and social pressure to aide SI is causing him to push his boundaries a bit.

Rhodey picks up the coffees, because Tony’s given up his “Dunkin Donuts is for plebs” thing and now sucks his caffeine down that way just like the rest of them. Not that Rhodey necessarily regretted Tony’s expensive fancy rich people coffee, but this is Cambridge. Dunks is Dunks.

Two regulars in hand, one actually in hand and one tucked between his ribs and his arm, and a box of munchkins in the other–it’s a good way to get Tony to eat, little bite-sized balls of sugar that take no effort and are quick–he walks into Tony’s apartment.

Tony’s already drunk.

It’s two thirty in the afternoon, they have an exam in seventeen hours and they’re supposed to be studying, but Tony’s drunk.

He’s still pretty small, doesn’t even really look sixteen, and he’s built up a tolerance but the kid still gets drunk quickly. Rhodey sets the food down and sighs. “Tony,” he says. “What happened?”

Tony drunk in the middle of the day means something happened. Tony drunk in the middle of the night–well, sixteen year old kids don’t get blackout drunk, or they shouldn’t, so something probably happened there too, but it’s less obvious.

Tony waves a hand, uncoordinated. “Still drunk,” he announces. “Why stop?”

“Why start?” Rhodey challenges. He picks up his coffee but doesn’t drink any.

Tony shrugs, an inelegant move for a body that’s so rarely anything other than elegant. “Science.”

“You did not get drunk for science,” Rhodey says, unimpressed.

Tony shakes his head, then frowns. “No. Science. A sub-substantiated theory, tested again and again. Recorded, observable, markable results. Re-testable, repeatable. All that.”

“That alcohol will in fact get you drunk?” Rhodey asks. He’s starting to get frustrated. He tries not to, with Tony, because the kid’s a little messed up–who wouldn’t be, being fifteen at MIT, being a Stark, being a genius, being him–but his heart is almost always in the right place. But he just wanted some coffee, some munchkins, and a few hours of hard studying tonight.

“No,” Tony says, making the sweeping hand-gesture again. “Sex. Alcohol makes sex easier. Science proves it.”

He looks so earnest at that that Rhodey nearly gets distracted, but eight months of knowing Tony Stark has taught him how to avoid distraction. He knows Tony’s having sex, and Rhodey tries not to judge too hard even if Tony really is, in his mind, too young. Sixteen is the age of consent here in Massachusetts, Tony’s told him more than once, and Tony’s mentally leaps and bounds ahead of them all. Rhodey’s just not so sure about emotionally.

“Sex, Tony? Why do you need to be drunk to have sex? Why do something you have to be drunk to do?”

Tony makes the face he makes when people are unable to keep up with his lightspeed brain. “’Cause that’s what people do. To…touch. And touch…is important.”

“But you don’t like it?” Rhodey asks, and he thinks he’s getting good at reading in-between Tony’s lines. 

Tony keeps making that face. “Does anyone, really?”

Well. Rhodey knows quickly that he’ll have to handle this carefully. “Yeah, Tones. Some people do. But some people don’t, you know, and I guess you’re just one of them. You know you can…touch people without having sex, right?”

“Pffft.” It’s exaggerated, like a leaky hose. 

“Seriously,” Rhodey says. “C’mon. Wanna try?”

Tony flutters his lashes. “You prop–uh–propositioning me?”

Rhodey sighs. “No, Tony. C’mere. Cuddling. I’m sure you’ve heard of cuddling.”

Tony essentially collapses against Rhodey, but Rhodey counts it as a win and does all the work in positioning them on the couch. He has Tony in his arms, resting against him entirely. “That work?”

The alcohol seems to catch up to Tony. He rubs his head against Rhodey’s chest and closes his eyes. “You’re snuggly,” he slurs, and then he doesn’t say anything else.

Rhodey sighs, and strokes a hand carefully up and down Tony’s back, wanting him to relax, wanting him to _feel good_ , whatever that means for him. Wanting for him. Wanting him. Like this.

It’s not like he didn’t see it coming.

He never drinks his coffee, and the munchkins go uneaten and probably get stale. He just holds Tony while he sleeps off the drink, strokes his back, feels his gentle breaths.

He’s hoping this is one of those things Tony will want to repeat. You know, as an experiment. For science.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony still does the flirting and the seduction and the hot mess stuff. According to Tony, he has to. It’s all about image. It’s all about keeping the damn company afloat.

According to that bastard Obadiah, Tony’s right. According to some PR people, it is the best method. People expect certain things from Tony. Even if they’re stupid things.

Tony’s barely started at SI, twenty-one and filling big shoes as CEO. Rhodey’s at least got himself as the military liaison, an unheard of assignment for someone his age, but the thought being that he knows Tony, he can work the system. So he gets to be here.

To watch the trainwreck, basically. As if Tony wasn’t stressed and overwhelmed enough, taking himself outside of his robotics and his lab and into the big chair, worrying every day about how he’s perceived and how his father would have done it, what people expect, now he’s here. Flirting up a storm.

Rhodey knows that something will conveniently happen between here and the car, that she won’t make it home with him. Tony can be an asshole but he’s not that kind of asshole. What he and Rhodey have, it’s good. And Tony won’t do anything like that.

He’s not worried about himself, or even about the solidity of their relationship. He’s worried about _Tony_ , who looks like he’s fraying apart at the seams.

He steals over. “Mind if I take him for a minute?” He asks. “Military business.” It sounds intimidating enough that she lets him go, and Tony follows him wordlessly.

“Okay, Rhodes, what was that?” Tony demands once they have even a modicum of privacy.

“You look like you could use a break,” Rhodey says, shrugging. “C’mon, Tones. You put in your time. Let’s go home.”

“Not that I don’t want to, Sugar Plum, trust me, but this is important, and…”

“You’re done your bit,” Rhodey promises. “You deserve a break too, you know. Come on. Home? Relax a bit. Let’s go.”

Tony acquiesces quickly, so Rhodey escorts him out to the limo, where Tony immediately curls into his side and Rhodey strokes over his spine. “There we go,” he murmurs.

Tony’s asleep before they reach the house, calm and relaxed for the first time in days.


End file.
